Mick Mars, co-founder and guitarist of Mötley Crüe, has filed a lawsuit against the band. Mars claims the band is trying to kick him out and rip him off financially.
In a statement made in late Oct. 2022, Mars’ representatives announced that “due to his ongoing painful struggle with Ankylosing Spondylitis (A.S.), he [Mars] will no longer be able to tour with the band. Mick will continue as a member of the band, but can no longer handle the rigors of the road. A.S. is an extremely painful and crippling degenerative disease, which affects the spine.”
He was replaced on the road by guitarist John 5.
According to a report from TMZ, Mars is suing Mötley Crüe to hand over all of the band’s financial books. In documents obtained by TMZ, Mars is claiming “the band cut his percentage of profits from 25 percent to 5 percent … after he announced he was stepping back from touring.”
He also claims the band’s lawyers “made him feel like he should be grateful for even that small cut, because they didn’t feel they owed him anything at all.”
Per Variety, Mars claims that Nikki Sixx, bassist and unofficial leader of Mötley Crüe, “had a pattern of belittling him [Mars] for years, telling him he had cognitive issues and insulting him about alleged poor playing on tour.”
Mars’ attorneys claimed that he was told he would be removed as an officer and director of the band’s corporate entities if he did not accept the severance package he was offered.
Mars’ lawsuit also included the allegation that he was the only member of the four in the band that played 100% of the music live during their 2022 stadium tour. He claims that Sixx did not play a single note live, and much of what drummer Tommy Lee and singer Vince Neil “played” was prerecorded.
“The fact is that Mars is rarely mocked or criticized online. He is a quiet member of the group, who shows up to play, and puts his heart and soul into each performance. Conversely, other band members are often criticized online, particularly Neil, who is routinely torn to shreds for, among other things, not remembering the songs,” Mars’ attorneys said.
In response, touring production manager Robert Long, who has worked with the band for 16 years, wrote, “He [Mars] would consistently miss notes; play out of tune; play the wrong chords during a song; stay within a chorus of a song and never come out of it; forget the song that he was playing and start a different one; and would get lost in songs. This happened at every show.” Long also commented that the sound technician carefully monitored Mars’ performance each night and would play tracks when he got off.
The band has not filed a response to Mars’ petition as of now, but the band’s litigation attorney, Sasha Frid, released a statement to Variety.
“Retiring from touring is resigning from the band,” said Frid. “The band’s primary function is to tour and perform concerts. And … if a shareholder resigns, he cannot receive any compensation from touring — which is what Mick is trying to get. It’s clear-cut that Mick is not entitled to any more money.”
Frid also noted that Mars voted on and signed an agreement in 2008 in which every member of the band, Mars included, agreed that “in no event shall any resigning shareholder be entitled to receive any monies attributable to live performances (i.e., tours).”
Sixx is the only member of the band to publicly respond thus far, taking to Twitter to say “Sad day for us and we don’t deserve this considering how many years we’ve been propping him up – We still wish him the best and hope he find’s lawyers and managers who aren’t damaging him. We love you Mick.”
